Where Are The New Albums? December Update

It's December 2nd, and you know what that means! Just like we've done since August, it's time to take a look at the statuses, updates, and whereabouts of upcoming local metal albums that have yet to see a release! There's still a whole bunch that have seen the start of recording sessions and public word on their progress, but aren't available to purchase yet, and there's actually THREE more this month! No new albums have came out since last month, so this will be our longest post ever (15 albums by 14 bands) in this seemingly monthly series! Remember, new albums and albums with updates will have their title italicized. So, where are the new albums? Let's find out! (EDITED: December 6, 2010)
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April Eyes - Hollow Hope

Rumoured Songs: "Goodbye", "Left Behind", "The Only Road I've Ever Known", "Fall", "Reflections", "Obsession", Escape", "I Can't Let Go", "Absolution", "Hollow Hope"

Background: The oft-renamed April Eyes (previously known as By The Gods & Animas) is the solo project masterminded by Bear Hunters guitarist and Stillbroke guitarist Mitch Sirie. He's been working on solo material for some time now, featuring him on all instruments, including vocals and bass along with the guitar tracks. Over time, Mitch has deleted older audio tracks and blog entries from this project's MySpace page, but continually replaces them with newer material, although some aren't planned for an imminent album release. Recent blog entries have alluded to Mitch recording and releasing a solo concept album named "Hollow Hope", which he claims will be a "shocking" full length album, though it's been set back due to "circumstances". Featuring a mix of progressive & death metal with acoustic folk and indie rock, check out the newest samples of April Eyes/Mitch's solo material at his official MySpace page!

Current Release Status: I have no real idea. Honestly, this might not even get a release where it'd be on sale anywhere, but who knows! Mitch told me in e-mail conversations that he hopes to have a physical release of "Hollow Hope" next year, for what that's worth. The musical quality and songwriting on his material is very underrated, so I imagine that a release of "Hollow Hope" would get a good reception! Mitch was hoping for a release this year on his MySpace status, with the year almost over and updates not coming too frequently there, I'd bank on a 2011 release. There's lots of promise, so stay tuned for updates!
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Bring The Fallen's debut EP

Rumoured Songs: "Defiling Despondence", "Exposed Embankment", "Stand Before", "Night Riders", "Nostalgia"

Background: Possibly from the studio time earned at some of the battles of the bands they won, Bring The Fallen had announced plans for a debut EP last year, recording it in September 2009 with producer (and SBD bassist) Brad Griffith. The band posted unmastered mixes of three original songs onto their MySpace page, and had publicly announced that it would be out in "Winter 2010". However, since then, all traces of an imminent EP release have disappeared from their internet pages, and nothing has came of it in a few months.

Current Release Status: Unknown, but the band haven't shut the door on releasing it, as they confirmed that it was waiting to be mastered in their interview from the fall 2010 issue of The Fresh Magazine. However, I can't verify if it ever will be, as discussion of releasing these recordings did vanish from their pages for a reason. Hopefully it comes out, but you can check out three of the unmastered studio recordings at this location! Very promising stuff, nice and brutal, though it does need to be refined.
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Garden of Bedlam - "Everything Will Die"

Rumoured Songs: "New Rain", "Against The Grain", "Everything Will Die", "Torment", "Your Disgrace", "Three Days", "Around The Bend", "With A Spark"

Background: Sessions for Garden of Bedlam's debut full length album began in early June at Stereo Soul Studios with producer Miguel Gauthier, who kept fans up to date on the recording sessions at his Facebook page. Only stepping out from the studio to headline The Rotaryfest Second Stage and to open for Kiss, recording for the album wrapped up on September 9th, though the band were still working on extra tweaks and changes as of October 6th. Miguel's page and Garden of Bedlam's Facebook group did a good job of keeping fans posted on the sessions, head there to check out updates! Select fans heard their first taste of unmixed tracks from the CD at Garden of Bedlam's Kiss afterparty on August 10th at The Rockstar Bar. The album was said to be sent away for mastering and duplication "very shortly" as of October 21st, so be on the look out!

Current Release Status: Past claims had leaned towards a fall release, but we're obviously past that point. The band was informally hoping for a release around Christmas time, but they haven't made an official claim to that effect. Time will tell if we see it in 2010, but remember that the whole album recording and mastering process isn't quick. In the meantime, search for Garden of Bedlam on YouTube to hear live versions of their newest originals, while we wait for more sneak peeks at the finished studio material!
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Gates of Winter's second full length album

Rumoured Songs: "The Stars Call My True Name", "Edin Na Zu", "Dimensions", "Time Warp", "From Nothingness" (leftover song from 2008 sessions)

Background: Despite an almost two year long hiatus from live performances, Gates of Winter never broke up, and are slowly working on their follow-up to 2008's "Lux Aeterna". The first glimpse of the new album was unveiled in February, when frontman and producer Lee Maines uploaded a snippet of their new song "The Stars Call My True Name" onto his YouTube channel, and he followed that up with two more demo clips in June. The band launched a new Facebook page in August to keep fans updated on the sessions, including the unveiling of a new song title, "Time Warp". Not much else has surfaced, but work on the album is ongoing, and it sure sounds like their heaviest and darkest yet, which should get any Gates of Winter fan excited!

Current Release Status: I have absolutely no idea. The band have openly admitted that the recording sessions for this album have been a slow and steady process due to ongoing work and education, as stated on their Facebook page. Plus, bassist Steve Furgiuele lives out of town now, and that can't help either. But don't worry, the album is still in progress, and when updates come out, we'll know! I'd say don't expect the album to come out until early 2011, but that's a complete and utter guess. For now though, check out Gates of Winter's posted demos by clicking here!
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Half Past's self-titled debut album

Rumoured Songs: "Dead Again", "War Inside My Head", "One More Day"

Background: The local hard rock quartet officially announced that they were working on their debut album on their Facebook page on November 13th! The first snippet of their studio material, recorded at their own Half Past Studio Productions, was posted in a Facebook video that same day, with a following note confirming the news. The aim is to release the album in the spring and return to the stage before it's release. It's unknown how the recent bassist switch from Ryan Disano back to Arthur Lacasse will affect the sessions, though I'd be surprised if any of Ryan's recordings remained on the album. Little has been posted since, but we'll have it for you once we hear it!

Current Release Status: I don't have a real guess, but I'm gonna put my early cards on next spring, as the band have hinted towards in the past. Still, I imagine this won't be a quick process, as it is being self-recorded and all that, but they know what they're doing, and when the album comes out, it will be definitely worth picking up!
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Lion Ride's first full length album

Rumoured Songs: "Stick It In", "Snail Trail"

Background: Lion Ride entered the studio for the first sessions of their upcoming full length CD in late April at Toronto's BWC Studios with producer Greg Dawson, same as when current and ex-members of the band recorded Detroit's newest album last year. The band recorded four songs at those sessions, including "Stick It In", which was uploaded onto their MySpace page in early May as a preview. They've also played another new song, "Snail Trail", at recent concerts, and the studio version was later posted on BWC Studios' MySpace page. However, band activity has slowed since June, which guitarist/studio bassist Marky Lion confirmed was due to drummer Iron Mike Bison being on the road with Toronto pop rock band The Envy, who he managed on tour. You'll recognize The Envy as one of the opening bands at Kiss' show at The Essar Center on August 10th! The above information comes from a posting on the band's MySpace blog. Lion Ride finally acknowledged and apologized for the sparse album updates on their Facebook page on November 27th with this video featuring studio session clips set to "Snail Trail", but new updates haven't otherwise surfaced.

Current Release Status: According to Marky in the above blog posting, they were saying it will be out in the fall, but more recent graphics on their MySpace page had said it was merely "coming soon." They're obviously past their projected release timeframe, but when will we see this album? Honestly, probably not til early next year, what with the lack of new album updates. However, you can get a preview of the CD by checking out "Stick It In" at this location and "Snail Trail" by clicking here!
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Mike Haggith - "Suspended Animation"

Rumoured Songs: "Sun Perfume", "The Institution", "Nightmare On Reed Street", "As Memories Fade Away", "Ode To August", "Goodbye At The Gate", "The Day They Killed Small", "Out Of Control", "Disorder", "Jarhead", "The Move"

Background: The 43rd album from local solo hard rock guitarist Mike Haggith, "Suspended Animation" has been in the process of recording since October at his main studios in Windsor. Described as an upbeat and heavy rock album, this will be the first Mike Haggith solo album recorded using digital recording equipment. The cover art and instrumental tracks are completed for the album, with the vocal tracks expected to be laid down this month. Mike will release this album through his independent label Rotten Records, with an expected release date of December 24th, 2010. Like his past few albums, "Suspended Animation" will likely only be available by paid mp3 download on his internet pages, notably on Reverbnation, which currently features instrumental takes of "Sun Perfume" and "The Institution" that you can now stream there for free!

Current Release Status: I have a feeling that "Suspended Animation" will make it out on the day Mike said above. He takes his music very seriously, and he publically tells us when he plans to do things ahead of time, so I'm inclined to think it will come out on time. That being said, we weren't aware of his local work until recently, so I can't say for certain if his past albums stuck to the announced release date, but I'll assume the best going forward! Either way, this will be a very promising album from a very talented local musician!
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No Arrow - "Souls For Sale"

Rumoured Songs: "Genocyde Revealing Pt. 1", "Sikkha", "Lighter", "Delayed Reaction", "Souls For Sale", "One On The Line", "Most Of All", "Substitute Victim", "The Pissing Song", "Genocyde Revealing Pt. 2", "Colderside Of The Sun", "Cuts"

Background: Self produced, recorded, and mixed at Organized Rhyme Records from 2007-2009 and mastered by Chris Daniels at Brighton Recording/Mastering House in the United Kingdom, "Souls For Sale" is completely finished with album artwork and liner notes completed as well. So why hasn't it been released? Well, from conversations I've had with frontman Dann Pichette, the gist of it is that he wants to wait to book a CD release show before sending it to press, but hasn't been able to wrangle together the members of the band to reunite yet. Dann has kept fans posted here and there with commercials for the album and some new jam videos on his YouTube channel, but nothing finite about a "Souls For Sale" CD release has came up at all, even though it's been THREE YEARS since recording began.

Current Release Status: I have no idea. We've heard rumours of it coming out soon for a few years now, and each time we got excited, nothing came of it. However, you CAN hear the entire album for free, all you have to do is ask the band to send you the mp3s and artwork by e-mailing their MySpace page! Also, I have uploaded (with Dann's blessing) the entire album onto the SMS YouTube channel, so check it out there too! The hopes of an official "Souls For Sale" release are NOT dead yet, so stay tuned in case something pops up!
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Riverin's self-titled debut EP

Rumoured Songs: "Attitude", "They Lost You", "A Cold Wind", "Deflower", "Valentine", "Raining In December"

Background: The new industrial hard rock project from former Dirty Virgin and Silver Dream bandmates Matt Hicks and Matt Clement, Riverin have slowly worked on their debut EP for much of 2010 at Matt Hicks' Quartertone Studios. The recording sessions for this self-produced EP have finished, and it was said to be released "soon" as of July. All six songs to be included on the EP are now featured on their MySpace page to stream for free! E-mail correspondence with Matt Clement this fall detailed how the band were looking into the CD development process to release the album in time for a planned CD release show in the future featuring guest musicians, but there hasn't been any album-specific updates in a few weeks.

Current Release Status: Not sure, but things appear to be on the right track, given that the EP's tracks are all recorded. The way it's sounding to me, the release of the EP will likely tie in to their debut concert as a CD release show, but we haven't heard anything on a date range for it, so a concrete release date is up in the air. I'll keep you posted as I hear more!
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Sense of Truth's debut EP

Rumoured Songs: "Push & Pull", "Crawling", "Land of Greed", "Pieces of a Mirror"

Background: Sense of Truth began work on their debut EP in early February with Miguel Gauthier at Stereo Soul Studios, wrapping up the recording sessions in March. Again, Miguel kept fans up to date on the sessions at his Facebook page, with some updates on Sense of Truth's Facebook group as well. The songs were sent off to be mastered in late March, and it was announced that the EP would be sent off to print "very shortly" as of June 30th. The band originally hyped an "early summer 2010" release for the album, but we're obviously past that point. Songs from the EP are on rotation on Energy Rock Radio, numerous originals have been played at their concerts, and samples of three songs are posted on their MySpace page, but we haven't heard much from the band since their last concert on May 22nd, partly due to drummer Ryan Haryett's out of town work commitments. Miguel confirmed on September 9th that the artwork needed to be finished before sending it to press, though we've heard little publically since. Bassist Curtis Beauchamp has shared some cool release details about the EP with me before, but I won't post any of that here without online sourcing.

Current Release Status: I'd originally guessed that we would see this before Garden of Bedlam's album as it was recorded earlier and was shorter as a whole, but I'm second guessing that a bit. Honestly, with all the artwork issues and delays, I would not be surprised if this EP didn't come out until next year. No matter what, when it comes out, it will deliver lots of great hard rock, and will be well worth the wait! Remember to hear previews of three songs at their MySpace page, and listen to Energy Rock Radio for your first taste of full songs from the EP!
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Silver Dream's debut album

Rumoured Songs: "My Heart Stops", "Evangeline", "Sunshine", "Every Minute", "Baby I Love", "Talk To Me"

Background: Not a lot was known about the recording sessions and progress of Silver Dream's debut album, but what we did know was that they wanted to record the majority of their first album before playing live, instead of typically doing it the other way around. Former frontman Matthew Silver kept fans updated on his now-deactivated Facebook page through image files as to progress of recording. We did see one taste of their sessions, a YouTube upload of "My Heart Stops", in June. The quality of the recording wasn't bad either, so they knew what they were doing! Other songs were confirmed through image files and some solo performance videos on YouTube. However, since Matthew left the band in July to follow a religious path, most traces of Silver Dream vanished from the internet, and their debut show was cancelled, leaving their future in doubt.

Current Release Status: Personally, it doesn't look good. With Silver Dream's frontman, namesake, and driving force gone, I can't see the remaining members doing much with what was recorded. Matthew did announce that the band would still be active, with bassist Mike LaRue looking for a new singer, but what that means for the recordings is unknown at best. I'd like to see what was finished come out at some point, but if I were you, I wouldn't hold your breath for an official CD release, at least not in the form we heard earlier this summer.
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Sykotyk Rampage - "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Intellect" and "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Stupidity"

Rumoured Songs (for 1st album): "Parked", "Fear", "Sicked", "Text", "Sky", "Underhead", "Bubblie", "GDS", "Twisted", "Manure", "NT22PSDB", "Nobody"

Rumoured Songs (for 2nd album): "Running", "Legend, "Garden", "Metal", "Rain", "Parley", "Wait", "Shrooms", "Dynamite", "Acreage", "McDonalds", "Alright"

Background: Originally announced in their "Attack Of The Garage Bands" profile on The Barking Eye in June, "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Intellect" will be Sykotyk Rampage's 24th album. It was later announced in August that the album, originally a double release with 25 songs, would be split into two 12 song albums, with one song, "Silence", removed from the track listing that makes up the second album, "Genius Mushrooms With Thoughts Of Stupidity". Details on both albums, including songs and album covers, can be viewed at this location. Once again, Sykotyk Rampage recorded these new albums at River Front Recreation Studios, the sessions taking place last year and early this year. These albums are part of the conceptual "Genius Mushroom" series which delves "into the realm of hallucinogenic musical brainscans." Note that bassist Brian Cattapan's move to Sudbury will not affect either album's release, as he recorded his parts beforehand at a recent weekend trip to town in November.

Current Release Status: The original announced release date for both was yesterday, and we don't have new crash music to share as of today. I figured there would be a delay, as the last few Sykotyk Rampage albums came out after the announced release date. Their albums are known for being recorded and released pretty quickly compared to other local bands though. If I was gonna bet, I'd bet on a January or February release for both, but who knows, maybe things will line up so they do get a release this month. You never know!
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Tym Morrison's second solo album

Rumoured Songs: "Moon Patrol", "Dungeons & Dragons", "Nag Hamedi", "The Reason Why", "The Dark Shred", "Song For Jen", "No Name", "Amy", "Lay It On The Line"

Background: I honestly don't know a lot about the background for Tym Morrison's second album, but he has posted samples of nine songs for his "next album" onto the music player on his official website! The songs are all of good quality, and feature Tym in familiarly good form! Information about recording sessions for his solo album are either very sparse or were made quite a while ago, so I don't know a lot about it, but the songs were likely self-recorded at Morrison Studio Productions with Tym on all instruments save for the programmed drums. That being said, concrete details about a release for this album haven't been made to my knowledge, but if something is said, you have my word that it will be on the SMS!

Current Release Status: I have absolutely no idea. I don't believe these songs were recently posted, so a release for this second solo album must be waiting for something to open up or happen before they can be pressed and sold. Hopefully Tym does release these songs on CD in the near future, cause the samples sound very promising! For now though, check out the above links to hear the posted samples!
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Woods of Ypres - "Woods V: You Were The Light

Rumoured Songs: None known yet

Background: Recording for Woods of Ypres' fifth album took place from August 8th-22nd. The band's second album featuring the Madden brothers and first with Joel Violette, it was recorded with Miguel Gauthier at Stereo Soul Studios once again, and will feature five long tracks, so it won't be released as an EP. Miguel's Facebook page kept fans updated on the sessions, along with Woods of Ypres' Facebook page, and a topic on Woods of Ypres' official forum. The full title, "Woods V: You Were The Light", was announced at some point before October 9th, though a seasonal theme a'la their past releases isn't known yet. Initial release plans from during Woods' fake breakup suggested just a limited release of 500 12" vinyl copies with download cards, and on iTunes, but this could very well change with last month's news that Woods of Ypres has signed a label deal with Earache Records! Miguel was close to finishing editing and mixing the "Woods V" material as of September 17th, but we've heard little since, partly due to frontman David Gold's work commitments in Kuwait. Recent press releases from Earache Records alluded to a release for "Woods V" in early 2011, along with re-releases of the entire Woods of Ypres back catalog, so be on the lookout!

Current Release Status: I'd say next year, probably in the spring around the next Woods of Ypres tour cycle. It's not every day that a local metal band gets a label deal, so if Earache Records says it will be out next year, I'll believe them! I doubt David Gold's work obligations will stall the release any more than it already has been, so don't worry about that. Still, expect to see "Woods V" and the rest of the Woods of Ypres back catalog on Earache next year, which is shaping up to be Woods of Ypres' biggest yet!
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There, how's that for a marathon post? Hopefully we see some of these albums soon, as there's lots of high quality stuff on the horizon! That's all for now, but stay tuned for more news and updates by the weekend, including our next CD review (be it a new album or not) by next week! Thanks everyone!